For many years casino operators and regulators have struggled to have a useful system to use to track installed components such as the software and hardware that comprises the slot machines on the floor of a casino. Furthermore, relating these components to their regulatory approval status in multiple jurisdictions can be a tedious and sometimes impossible task.
Historically, creating and maintaining an inventory list of the installed components in a casino is a largely manually task, and as a result, prone to errors. The inventory list is often created under the restraints of an accounting system “slot file” and does not have flexibility regarding the information that can be manually entered.
Many conventional systems only allow for authentication and verification of single gaming machines. For example, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0195033, a method of performing self-authentication in gaming machines is provided. Additional background on gaming machine authentication may also be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,043,641 which discloses methods of encryption in a secure computerized gaming system. Neither reference discloses any inventory management features or provides any way to allow owners and regulators to quickly view the status of multiple machines.
Some systems do provide for gaming content authentication, verification, and dissemination. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0259633 provides methods and systems for remote authentication of gaming software. Additionally, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0318669 discloses a wagering game content approval and dissemination system. These systems, however, are used to verify software for images before distribution and installation on the game machines. Additionally, these systems do not incorporate any system to track inventories that include certifications.
A system that can solve all of these problems by utilizing a number of new technologies and coupling the results with a pre-existing unique knowledgebase is desirable.